Washing apparatus



1933- N. P. ROXENDORFF WASHING APPARATUS Filed July 23, 1930 Patented Got. 17, 1933 Nils "Pablo. Itoxendorff,

Rasunda, Sweden, as

signor, by mesne assignments, to Aktiebolaget Lavator, Stockholm, l Sweden 2 Application July 23,1930, Serial No. 470,673, and l in Germany June 6, 1930 Zola-H115. (01L 63-40 This invention relates to washing-apparatus of the thermosiphon type, i. e. towashing-apparatus,

in which the washing liquid-is exclusively circulated by the effect of the heat to flow through the clothes and other articles to be washed but no mechanical or moving parts are used for moving the washing liquor or the clothes or for rubbing the latter. It was, however, heretofore dinicult or rather impossible to attain a good washing in such apparatus, because the circulation of the washing liquid could not be made sufficiently strong and efficient; Because no mechanical rubbing of the articles to be washed is made in such apparatus of the thermosiphon type very high requirements must be made upon the efiiciency of the circulation. v

The chief object of this invention is to. provide for a washing apparatus of the type'described having a very intensive circulation of the washing liquid and, thus, giving a very good washing re-' sult. For this purpose, the apparatus is divided into an upper and a lower chamber by means of a partition wall having at least in its central portion an upward cambered or dished shape; for

from the central portion of said partition wall and the bottom of the apparatus, below which a sepae rate heating device is, as usual, provided for, is

correspondingly cambered in order to form, between said bottom and said partition wall, a low'or chamber being at least in its centre cambered upwards and communicating with the upper chamber, enclosing the articles to be washed, via one or more sockets or down pipes provided close by the outer periphery of the apparatus.

The steam bubbles generated in' this lower chamber by the heating have a-tendency of rising to the highest point of the camberedor curved portion and of rising further in the rising tube causing the washing liquid to rise and then to fall down upon the articles to be washed and to penetrate them, whereupon said liquid flows back to the lower chamber through the socket Because of the dished shape of the or sockets. bottom of the apparatus the heating surface is increased and at the same time the heating is concentrated in the centre thereof. The curved or cambered shape of the partition wall forces the steam bubbles to move'towards the centre operating features the circulation is very inten sive and much superior to that of all washing apparatus of this type heretofore known;

:One embodiment of the invention is shown in the annexed drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical, central section through a washing apparatus according to the invention, part of the apparatus being, however, shown in elevation while Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line II-j-II- in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing 1 is acylindrical washing vessel having a bottom 2 rigidly secured theretof This bottom has in its central portion the shape of a" cone,"whose top is turned upwards-L Above this bottom a stationary partition wall is attached to the cylinder 1 said wall having a shape similar to that of the ing aplane portion 4and bottom and comprisa conical portion 5.

1 Close by its-periphery said partition wall isprovided with two sockets or short down pipes 6 diametrically opposite to each other, through which the lower chamber between'the partition wall 4, 5 and the bottom 2,f3 communicates with the upper portion of the cylinder 1. The down pipes 6' extend so far downwards that they endclose above the bottom 2; The number of said down' pipes is arbitrary.

On the upper side of' the partition wall {an annular support or rail 'i is fixed on which a detachable inner bottom 8 is resting provided with a number of holes 9 and'two vertical standards 10 having handles 11 at their upper ends.

Close by its upper end said rising tube has an annular supportingcollaror flange 13 round it said collar serving to support a cylindrical supporting tube or socket 14secured to the bottom of, a low distribution chamber 15. As seen in Fig. 1, the tube '14 projects bottom V of the chamber l5 somewhat above the and thus a throttled passage is formedbetween the upper edge of said socket and'the cover of the chamber 15;

The tube 14 serves to support the Whole cham ber 15 which fills up almost the'whole crosssection of the vessel 1 and may, together with the tube 14 be lifted out of thevessel 1. In'the bottom of the distribution chamber 15 a number of openings l6 are provided for and to the upper side of said chamber straps or handles 1'? are from the vessel.

' On the vessel 1 a second secured to facilitate the removal of the chamber minor vessel or container 18 is placed forming a cover for said vessel 1. This container 18 serves as a hot water preparer and is heated by the steam rising from the vessel 1 and coming in contact with the bottom of said container. The hot water thus prepared is utilized as rinsings for the clothesjor for other purposes. At a short distance below the container 18 the inner wall is perforated at 19 in order to prevent any pressure above atmospheric to be generated in the vessel 1. The presence of such a pressure above atmospheric would otherwise interfere with the good OPQ 'Q ZiQJ-I Q the apparatus. At the bottom of the apparatus a cock 2O is provided for by u se of which the whole apparatus may be emptied, if desired.

Below the bottom 2 of the apparatus a heating device of conventional design, for instance a'gas burner 21 is provided for, which, however,l does not belong to the apparatus proper nor isintegral are placed on the inner bottom 8. If it-is. desired to soak the clothes prior to the washing proper the vessel 1" is filled with water and the clothes may also be agitated inthis water by use cf the handles 11 by which the inner bottom to gether with the clothes thereon may be lifted and rotated in the soak water, if desired. Then this water is let out through the cook 20, It is, however; understood that the soakage may be made ina separate vessel and also that the soakage may be dispensed with: v Then the vessel 1 is filled to a suitable level with a washing liquid, for instance, soap-suds, the

chamber 15 and the container 18 are restored to their places and the heating device 21 is started. As a result of the curved or dished shape of the bottom 2, 3 the heating surface is mu'ch larger than that of a plane bottom of the common'typ'e and, moreover, the flames will be concentrated in the conical portion 3 thus causing the most intensive generation of steamand heating of the washing liquid to take place there. The steam bubbles generated in the lower. chamberbetween the fixed partition wall 4, 5 and the bottom 3 rise, as

p, indicated by arrows in the drawing, between the conical structures :5 and 3 and further through the riser 12 and move the washing liquid in the same direction causing saidliquid to rise into the distributivechamber 15. The tube 14 projecting upwards into saidchamber forms a throttled'passage at the cover of said chamber and thus serves to throw the liquid far outwards substantially radially in all directions in order to distribute it more uniformly over the perforated bottom of said chamber than would-otherwise be the .case. In some cases the distribution may be made even more uniform by the reduction of the holes 16 in size from the periphery towards thecentre. The washing liquid then flows downwards through said holes 16 and flows through the clothes etc.

placed on the inner bottom 8 and thereafter is re.- turned to the lower chamber through the open ings 9 and the down pipes 6. The i Culation is in Fig. 1 of the drawing indicated by arrows. Be.-

cause the steam bubbles gather immediately beW- low the partition wall 1 and follow this wall on to the cambered portion 5, along which they rise, practically no steam canrise through the .down pipe 6 and cosequently substantiallyall the steam ene at d ai in b ing-ins. about th .e r lw' tion (the thermo-siphon effect). 'As a result of this and of the large heating surface and the shape of the parts used the circulation is much more strong and efficient than that of the washing apparatus known heretofore and the washing isconsequently much better and more effective. The quantity of the washing liquid is'chosenin such manner that during the circulation the liquid surface or level in the upper portion of the vessel ,1.is below the inner bottom 8 and, therefore, the

container 18 and, if desired, also the distributive chamber. 15 a rinsing liquid such as hot water from the container 18 may be filled into thevese sel land the clothes etc. on the inner bottom 8 may be moved to and fro in the rinsing liquid by use of the handles 11 until a thorough rinsing has been made. This may be repeated several times. After each rinsing the liquid'is drawn off through the cock 20 and finally the inner bottom 8 together with clothes thereon is lifted out by means of the handles 11, whereupon a new charge of clothes may be placed in the apparatus for washin V It is obvious that for the cones 3 and ,5 other shapes cambered upwards at least in their cen' tral portion may be substituted. The bottom of the vessel and the partition wall may also be cambered upwards overtheir total'surface. It is also evidentthat the vessel 1 need not be circular in cross-section but may be, for instance, square or rectangular in cross-section.

What I claim is:--

1. In a washing apparatus of siphon type in combinationa washing vessel, the bottom of said vessel having an upwardly cam.- bered surface at least in the central portion thereof, a partition wall secured to the outer walls of said vessel around the entire periphery thereof and having an upwardly cambered surface at least in the central portion thereof and of a shape similar to said bottom to form an annular upwardly directed passage in said vessel, a central openingin said cambered partition wall, a valveless rising tube mounted on said cambered wall at the central opening, a closed distribution chamber having a perforated bottom, a supporting tube secured in the bottom of said distribution chamber, said supporting tube enclosingsaid rising tube and projecting somewhat above the bottom of said distribution chamber to form a 'throttled passage against the top wall of the same, afiange on said rising tube to form a support for said supporting tube, openings in'said partition wall uniformly distributed near the outer periphery thereof, and downwardly directed central portion thereof, a partition wall having an.

upwardly cambered surface at least in the central portion thereof and of ashape similar. to that of said bottom and secured to the wall of said ves-- sel around the periphery thereof and above said bottom to form an annular upwardly directed passage in said vessel, a central opening in said camber-ed wall, a valveless rising tube mountedon the thermosaid .cambered wellat the central opening, a 159 the walls of said vessel immediatelybelow said lid, and a plurality of downwardly directed pipes connected to said partition wall near the outer periphery thereofysaid pipes projecting down to points adjacent the bottom of said vessel to form communications through said partition wall.

NILS PABLO RQXENDORFF. 

